Preparing for Battle.

Ephesians 6:14-20

//Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.\\

-Commit your emotions to believe the Truth
-Keep your heart pure and Righteous because sin gives a foothold to the enemy
-Spread the Gospel of Peace and Reconciliation 
-Above all, rely on your Faith to deflect all the enemy's tricks 
-Assurance of Salvation is a mighty defense against doubt and insecurity & their works
-The Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword
-Keep in constant communication with the Lord God, our Leader, through Prayer
...

God gave  us clear guidelines of how to prepare ourselves to fight against the enemy. And when we choose to do these things day after day without relenting we grow stronger in Christ. We are more prepared to fight the battle. Professional boxers don't just enter into the ring and begin throwing punches. If they did (pridefulness), then they would surely lose. Rather, the boxer learns, practices and meditates on how they will take down their opponent. We must look at our battles the same way but instead of fighting for a title (which we already possess; Children of God) we are fighting for our lives & the lives of others. 
//

So, what should we do? 
Throw hopeful punches? or confident daggers? 

Let's prepare ourselves for the battles the enemy throws at us each day. God has given each of us the material to do so and confidence in Him (remember from last week's post that God never leaves us). 


Learn. Strengthen. Fight. 

Peace & <3,
Samantha  

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Who are You?

John 10:28 "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand".

God recently spoke to me about who you and I are to Him.
...

Listen to what He had to say:
I am always there, right beside you. No one can take you away unless you allow it. I have given you the choise to either look to Me or elsewhere. When you don't look to Me at all time in all situations, when you become distracted your focus is lost and you begin to lose sight of what matters. Whatever you're distracted by right now, whether it be the television, your phone, Facebook, the children, the car that just pulled out in front of you...these things are distracting you and pulling you away from Me. Remember that I am always right beside you. You must make a decision of whether you will allow the distractions to consume your thoughts or not. 
//

Don't lose sight of me. Guard your heart and mind. Everyday is a battle and you must be prepared to fight it. For everyday the devil is longing for those who are not ready and pounces at the chance to distract your focus from Me. Don't let him! Take heed to what I tell you and prepare yourself each day. Draw close to Me by reading My Word, think of what I would do (yes, the WWJD phrase comes into play), talk with me. I am right next to you ready to help. Those times of frustration, sadness, anxiety, nervousness, anger are all antics from the devil to distract you.

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I never leave you nor forsake you. So, abide in Me and you will never leave Me also.
...
You are MY child. 

Peace & <3,
Samantha

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When All You See is Unmet Desires...

//Colossians 3:23

Being content. I don't think there has ever been a time before this that God has really screamed (not literally) for me to be still, know that He is God, and to be content with where I am and with what I have at this very moment. It's a lot easier said than actually done.

I don't know about you but if you're like me and almost any other human on this earth then you have plans for your life, desires to fulfill, and places to explore. When those plans don't work out, those desires go unfulfilled, and all of the places are without adventures we become very unsettled. Our hearts begin to doubt and even grow hardened when what we anticipate is no longer.
This leads us to question God. Why is this happening to me, Jesus? What is my purpose? Do I have a purpose? Where did I go wrong? What's coming next? Why can't I have answers to my life? As I prayed each and everyone of these questions it struck me that my life is not actually my own. God made me, predestined me for great works, and knows exactly where He is leading me. I know nothing. I can't foretell the future. I can't see what's behind the next door. Only God has that power.
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And He wasn't done teaching me after that epiphany. You know what came next...another question. So, how do I be content, Lord? God wants us to be content so that He has us in a position that allows Him to speak to us without distractions, unless of course we create distractions (that's a whole other topic to discuss, though). He wants all of us, this very moment, to draw near to Him at all times, especially during those hopeless moments. Remember that God knows exactly how you feel. He felt it all while He manifested Himself on earth through His One and Only Son, Jesus. So, He gets it.

Being content is a process. It doesn't happen overnight or even over the next week. I don't believe that there is some 12-step program that will get us to be content or some prayer we pray that will make us content. What I do believe is that to be content we, first, need patience. I mean, isn't that part of what being content is all about? Patience will slow our minds, our actions, and allow us to be still in order for us to actually be aware of God in our moments. Which leads me to think that our perspective on our situation is also important.
How we view the moments we are in, these doubtful and hopeless moments, is key to our contentment. If we view them as we have (doubtful and hopeless) we will drudge our way through day after day finding no light at the end of the tunnel. Instead we must look at these instances as being allowed by God, even if He didn't cause them. 1 Peter 5:7 illustrates for us that God cares for us so much so that He commanded us to cast our burdens onto Him. No matter what we see, we must choose to accept the situation as if it were coming from God knowing that He cares for our well-being and that He is sovereign through whatever may come.
//

Although, being content will not happen without total submission. These situations are usually not fun or sweet. So, don't express that to God. Rather, be truthful and sincere expressing how you really feel to God. "This is painful, Lord, and I'm not sure why I must go through this but I choose to submit to You because You are trustworthy, faithful, and loving. I'm accepting this situation and I will persevere until whatever it is You want to accomplish in me is fulfilled." If we let go and submit like this to God, we are allowing ourselves to be open to His plan, His voice, and His timing. This is exactly what we want! We can take heart in the fact that whatever He has planned for whenever He chooses to unfold it we have hope in knowing that it will be something good and something that will bring Him glory.

Your waiting period is hopeful because something great will be coming soon. So, be content in this moment and seek what God wants to teach you and what it is that He wants to prepare in you.

Be encouraged. Be righteously submissive. And seek Him moment after moment.

Peace & <3,
Samantha

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